Former New Bedford City Solicitor Leontire played key role in Aaron Hernandez defense

Curt Brown @CurtBrown_SCT

Monday

Apr 17, 2017 at 5:58 PMApr 18, 2017 at 9:48 AM

'We could not have done this, if not for George Leontire. This acquittal has his fingerprints all over it,' Attorney Jose Baez, lead counsel for former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez and attorney for Casey Anthony, said of ex-New Bedford City Solicitor Leontire's work in the Hernandez case.

Defense attorneys for Aaron Hernandez — including ex-New Bedford City Solicitor George J. Leontire — hailed a Suffolk County jury's acquittal last week of the former New England Patriot in a double 2012 slaying.

"It was the only verdict," said Jose Baez, the lead counsel in the Hernandez defense team and the attorney for Casey Anthony, who was acquitted in July 2011 of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony. "I've never been involved in a case that had so much reasonable doubt, and the reasons for that is it wasn't true."

Leontire, who cross-examined witnesses, argued motions and developed evidence in the Hernandez case, said he was convinced the former football star was innocent of the killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, after a run-in at a Boston nightclub. However, it was "an awesome responsibility" to convince the jury of the defense's view of the case.

"Needless to say we're elated with the jury's verdict," he said.

Hernandez was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Alexander Bradley, a drug dealer and close friend of Hernandez, and opened fire on the men's car at a stop light, according to Bradley's testimony. Jurors convicted Hernandez of unlawful possession of a gun and he was sentenced to an additional 4-to-5 years in prison to the time he is serving.

Hernandez is already serving a life sentence for his first-degree murder conviction in Bristol County in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee.

Leontire described Bradley as "a violent drug dealer and gun runner," who is serving a five-year prison sentence in Connecticut for firing shots at a Hartford nightclub in 2014. "If anyone has the modus operandi, consistent with a nightclub, it was Alexander Bradley, not Aaron Hernandez," he said.

Baez said in an interview Monday from Miami that Leontire's contributions to the defense team were critical, particularly researching the law, preparing motions and doing quality work under tight constraints, all outside the courtroom.

"We would not have been in the position we were in, if not for George," Baez said. "We could not have done this, if not for George Leontire. This acquittal has his fingerprints all over it."

Leontire's eight months on the defense team earned him the nickname of "Mr. Devonshire," named for the Devonshire Building, a few blocks from Suffolk Superior Courthouse, where the defense did its preparation. "He was our home base. He was someone we relied on so much," Baez said. "You saw the show. You didn't see the production, what went on behind the curtains."

Baez said his office is discussing whether it will take over the appeal of Hernandez's first-degree murder conviction in Bristol County, but no determination has been reached. All first-degree murder convictions in Massachusetts are automatically reviewed by the state Supreme Judicial Court.

Asked about his new-found nickname, Leontire burst into laughter. "I love nicknames as long as they are not derogatory ones. I'm pleased," he said.

The entire defense team, which included a member of his staff and two UMass Law School students, all worked well together. "There really were no egos involved in this case," he said. "It was a real joy to work with such incredibly talented people."

Leontire, who is a counsel with the New Bedford law firm of Beauregard, Burke and Franco, lives in Dartmouth. The associate from his office who worked on the case was Attorney Kurt Hagstrom, and the two UMass Law students were Erica G. Sylvia and Angela M. Tieng.

(Material from The Associated Press was used in this news story.)

Follow Curt Brown on Twitter @CurtBrown_SCT

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